Staff Reporter
The stunting growth of children at their early age prevents them from being productive
members of society. It is very unfortunate that almost 40% of our children are suffering from
malnutrition. There is inextricable link between poor health conditions including malnutrition and non
productivity of people in society. President of Pakistan, Dr. Arif Alvi made these remarks during
inauguration of the Indus Health Network’s (IHN) flagship health conference – "ICON 2020" here on
Friday. The theme of the current conference was ‘Building Bridges for Better Healthcare’. President Dr.
Arif Alvi said that Pakistan has huge stock of philanthropists, particularly Karachi who have intervened in
health sector. The foundation and successful operation of Indus Health Network is the living example of
the passion of philanthropy. While showing concern on excessive emphasis on curative aspect of
healthcare system, Dr. Arif Alvi exhorted on preventive side of the disease treatment. He said that
depression is increasingly emerging ailment. The frenzy of depression can be best treated through
emotional tools of affection, sympathy and care. While appreciating services of IHN, President said that
Public-Private Partnership is the government's highest priority to lessen the healthcare burden. The
Indus Health Network has been a key partner in this process by bringing technical expertise, technology
and resources to government hospitals and primary care facilities. He congratulated Dr. Abdul Bari Khan,
CEO IHN and his team for extending health facilities to the benefit of the people. ICON 2020 is aligned
with the Government of Pakistan’s commitment towards UN’s Sustainable Development Goal no. 3
which focuses on good health and well-being for all. The conference highlighted initiatives taken by the
Indus Hospital to address healthcare challenges in Pakistan by bringing together disparate and like-
minded institutions and individuals. IHN has brought state-of-the-art facilities to cities like Badin,
systemized blood donation and brought it to an international standard in Sindh province as well as
Multan and Bahawalpur and also has gone into the most marginalized communities to screen for TB and
other diseases. CEO IHN Dr. Abdul Bari Khan, in his address, said that IHN is engaged in policy dialogues
and research. ICON 2020 will serve as the forum to engage healthcare professionals from different fields
and geographical areas. It aims at disseminating research-based recommendations and synthesizing
current healthcare scenario along with identifying challenges for future. Younus Hashim Bengali,
Chairman IHN and members of the Board Dr. Shamvil Ashraf, Executive Director, Medical Services, IHN;
Syed Mashhood Rizvi, Executive Director, Communication and Resource Development Directorate, IHN
and Dr. Mohammad Fareeduddin, Head of Pediatric Services, Indus Hospital and Chair, ICON 2020. Dr.
Palitha Mahipala, and Dr. Mwelecele Ntuli Malecela, Representatives of WHO participated in the event
among others.
